Farm Bureau announces policy priorities

The New York Farm Bureau rolled out its national public policy priorities last week, after board President David Fisher and other New York farmers traveled to Washington to meet with member of New York’s congressional delegation. Local farmers say they are cautiously optimistic about the outlined agenda.
By: Whitney Bashaw
Source: The Daily Star

PDPW Policy Summit tackles climate change, livestock biotech

MADISON – When it comes to the dairy industry there’s no shortage of issues and each year the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) holds a summit to update dairy farmers on those that affect their business.
By: Jan Shepel
Source: Wisconsin State Farmer
Link: http://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2017/12/27/pdpw-policy-summit-tackles-climate-change-livestock-biotech/983896001/

Arla Calls for Early Publication of New UK Ag Policy at Dairy Summit

UK – At the IDF World Dairy Summit taking place in Belfast this week, Tomas Pietrangeli, Managing Director of Arla Foods UK has spoken on the opportunities and challenges posed by Brexit to the UK dairy industry.
By:
Source: The Cattle Site
Link: http://www.thecattlesite.com/news/52256/arla-calls-for-early-publication-of-new-uk-ag-policy-at-dairy-summit/

Farmers urge lawmakers to overhaul dairy policy

Concerns about the dairy sector’s Margin Protection Program dominated the sixth farm bill listening session conducted by the House Agriculture Committee, but the lawmakers also heard appeals for increased research funding and for aid to young farmers.
By: Philip Brasher
Source: Agri-Pulse

Dairy asks Government to rethink immigration policy

DairyNZ is backing calls for the Government to rethink its new immigration policy, saying dairy farmers rely on skilled people from overseas who are wrongly classified as lower-skilled, locking them and their employers into a cycle of uncertainty. By: Dairy NZ

Japan's Aso Pushes Back Against U.S. Pressure for Bilateral Trade Deal

Japan has less room to compromise with the United States under a bilateral trade deal than under a multilateral agreement like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), its deputy prime minister said, taking a swipe at U.S. attempts to directly pressure Tokyo into opening up heavily-protected markets like agriculture.

Scrapping supply management would be disastrous

Unthinking and ideological criticism of Canada’s system of supply management — covering regulated marketing in dairy, eggs and poultry and which matches domestic consumption with domestic supply — continues. By BRUCE MUIRHEAD.